Instagram’s New Video Feed

Instagram’s New Video Feed has combined IGTV and feed videos into a single format that they are calling Instagram Video.

Don’t worry. It is still easy to upload videos the same way you have done in the past, by using the camera roll, clicking on the plus (+) sign in the top right corner of the home page and hitting Post. The process to cross-post videos by using Stories and direct messages are still available. By increasing the choices for posters to share, it can stimulate involvement in the communities.

The great news is that there are new features available like trimming, filters, and tagging improvements. Video previews are now a full minute (60 seconds) unless the video is eligible for ads. In that case, the preview remains at 15 seconds.

This new combined format is found on a tab called Video. It should be easier for users to locate new content from favourite posters. At that point, the user can tap anywhere on the screen to enlarge to full-screen viewing or keep scrolling. There will now be a single site for insights on posts and videos.

Of course, usage trends continue to evolve and Instagram is keeping pace with a combined display of relevant hits including posts, Stories, Reels, and Videos. All are full-screen and swipeable UI just like TikTok.

IGTV Ads are now called Instagram In-Stream video ads. The 60 limit remains in place for businesses.

• Take a Break – After extended scrolling, a message will appear encouraging the viewer to leave for a while to regroup.
• Your Activity – This is a maintenance feature to allow you to bulk delete and to control visibility on users’ profiles.
• Parental Control – Recent changes will allow time limits on the site and notifications to parents when a teen reports someone to continue a conversation.
• Collab – A new feature, this will let users join forces to create feed posts and reels. The posts will appear on both creators’ greeds. It also includes sharing the exact view count, like count, and comment thread.

All of this seems to indicate that Instagram and its parent, Meta, are moving toward encouraging younger audience participation. This is in competition with Apple’s iMessage and TikTok. Look for future releases to be geared toward young adults versus the more traditional lines as in the past.

For the viewer, it means a more streamlined connection to their favourites since Instagram will be able to better target interests. With a shift from a digital photo album and toward videos, it can mean an adjustment in their target audience. With younger users, ads may need to be refined to a different focus.

There are some more detailed articles available that include the steps to access these changes and details about projected impacts. Whether you are a poster, viewer, or advertiser, it is worth a good read so that you are fully up to date on what to expect in the near future. If you’d like to learn more about Instagram Marketing, contact us today!